The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-10-04
MR. HUFF'S BILL,
Creating a Permanent Peniten-
tiary or Supply Farm,
BRINGS OUT SOME LIVELY SPEECHES

| lSlatOn upon tnIs SUBJECT second, Does thlS
bill meet the demands of that necessity?
81 unhesitatingly answer the first question
affirnatively, have
NO DOUBT WHATEVER
on this point / am opposed to the present
convict lease system for many reasons. / will
not go into the legal questions involved, the
forfeiture of the lease contract and so forth.
The governor is now considering these matters
and leave these questions with him.
81 object to the present convict lease system.
First because the state should punish crimi-
mails herself, and not delegate that right to
private citizens or private corporations. The
state virtually parts with her right to punish
criminals in delegating this right to others.
She should carry out the sentence. Second,
the state should see that her conyicts are not
cruelty treated. She cannot do so under the
present lease system. l do not incline to the
maudlin sentiment that criminals should lie
on tlowery beds of case and live on Kimball
house fare, but do believe that the state
should not treat her free citizens cruelty, much
more SO her conyicts, who are in q measure her
slaves. She should
TEMPER HER JUSTICE WITH MERCY.
In many cases the private interests of the
lessees stand in the way of Just treatment. The
good book says: The love Of money is the
root of all evil 1t is certainly the root of
the evils OF the present convict system, where
avarice begets cruelty The unnecessary COM
petition of convict labor with free labor is an
evil of vital importance to the commonwealth
"Third-One of the greatest objections to
the system is the large margin of profit de-
rived by the lessees from this labor. Who
should receive this margin? Who are entitled
to 1t? The tax payer or private corporation?
MIR. Huff's Views.
Mr.. Huff said: 81 have no apology to offer
for the length of the bill, but for fear that its
length may cause some to imagine that it is a
dangerous unsafe and impracticable bill, |
assure them that it is perfectly safe and feas-
iblc. / shall insist that i'll dispOsing of it we
Il NI,ila
local legislation may be dispersed with without
harm there are measures that cannot be neg
lccted Take our educational system and pub
lie property, both are important
questions. Second to them
is the question now before us. No ridicule
abuse, intimidation or question of vested rights
shall interfere with my discussion Of this meas
urc, but shall discuss it without fear, favor
or affection. The bill is not too immense, not
unnecessarily expensive and not impracticable.
-FOUR LEADING IDEAS
in the bill
1t takes frem the present lessees the wo-
men and children.
1T establishes permanent pententiary
contemplated in the act of 1876, which the
lessees have never pretended to comply with.
The act of 1876 and the contract under ii was
an infamous swlndle and outrage on the people.
The lcssees have utterly failed to carry out the
laws. | call upon the legislature to do now
what the lessces have failed TO do.
There is a necessity for permanent peni-
Tertiary and for the separation of women and
children from the hardened conyicts. Any at
tempt at reformation within the present sys-
tenn is an absurdity, swindle and a fraud.
ono worse swinde was ever perpetrated on
a people than the contract under this lease.
1900 convicts for $4,000! tbs
A DAMNABLE OUTRAGE,
and propose to show it by the governor who
made it. No such contract was ever made iIl
any state III this union. III | don't prove it, /
will retire to private life.
"Thc origin of this internal system that ha
controlled the politics of Georgia for the pass
fifteen years is mixed, but for the credit of tho
democratic party | would state that it was
first put in force 10y General Ruger, military
governor 1T was put on when were too
poor to organize anything except on a pauper
plan 1t was inaugurated in poverty and per-
pctuated by Bullock.
"a call attention to.the act of 1871. The gov
ernor was authorized to farm out the convicts,
for not less than one nor more than two years,
for not less than S2j per capita. We have gone
down to SO per capita. Humane treatment
of Couyicts has been required in every actt
The principal keeper was retained as inspector
of conNicts. The leSSees were ordered not 30
work the convicts
MORE THAN TEN HOURS PER DAY.
Grant. Alexander & Co, were the lesseeS
under the contract Of 1869 with Bullock
In 1874 another act was passed authorizing
the leasing out of conyicts for not less than
ono nor more than five years. Not onlywas the
labor limited to ten hours per d;N, but the con-
victs We're not to I've permitted to work ON the
sabbath day. The present leSSecs have vio-
lated this provision world without end, In
the furnaces at Rising Fawn and at the Chat
tahoochee camp. world without end! The
lCSSeeS
oPFNLV AND DEFIANrLY ADMIT IT.
Corporal punishment was not to be inflicted
unless absolutely necessary Tor discipline. The
guards admit they whipped convicts and never
told them why they were whipped.
Il wish the members knew the peculiar cir
cumStanccs under which companies one, two
and three We're rganized-organized, some
say, with four Convicts from Fulton county
and five from the Marietta and North Georgia
railroad Will some one DENY it Infamous!
Joseph l.. Brown said before the peniten-
tiary committee that i'll one instance the state
had robbed him.
Look at the history of the act of 1876. Two
years after the passage of the act of 1874, and
three before the expiration of the lease under
it, this act was passed. The term of lease was
extended 10 twenty years. No lease for such
length of time was ever made i'll the world,
by the terms of the act the companies leas-
ing were Incorporated. The opinion of legal
minds is that this provision is null and void,
because unconstitutional"
MIR. Harrison Of Quitmau, interruptiug: II
refer You TO the decision OF the supreme court
that The lease act was constitutional, and the
contract valid ana binding
Mr.. lluT-"l will not discuss constitutional
questions With the gentleman from Quitman.
But he does not touch the point | made. The
provision Incorporating the lease companies
for such purposes is what | referred to. This
is the only basis on which the lessocS stand,
and propose to show what manhood is in the
basis. In the language of Chief Justice Lump
kim propose taking off the roof, and the
doros and windows and
LETTING IN ALL THE LIGHT.
Il have been blowing all around that deCiS-